Here's an example combat using the upcoming DD Reliquary rules. Remember that the rules are intended as a "framework", so what follows is only one of many ways a referee could handle this kind of encounter...

Enjoy

A company of 1st level adventurers are exploring a dungeon; three fighters, a cleric, a magic-user, and a thief. While they're busy with a stuck door the referee checks for wandering monsters and throws a 6 and, dicing on the Dungeon Encounter tables, determines that orcs have come to investigate. According to the Summary of Monsters 2-16 orcs should be encountered outside the lair so the referee throws two eight-sided dice (he could equally have thrown a twelve-sided die and a four-sided die) yielding 2 and 7, and so he has a group of 9 orcs to play with.

The orcs won't be surprised since they've already heard the players making a racket, and can see their torch light besides. Whether or not the players will be surprised is subject to another six-sided throw. This one comes up 3 so the players are not surprised either; the orcs snort and clatter allowing the players to hear them approaching. The referee now dices for encounter distance and gets 100ft. Noting that the players' torch light only properly illuminates the 60ft square chamber they are in, he rules the players will hear the orcs clattering down a passage toward them but, as the orcs don't carry torches, the players won't see them until they arrive at the room.

"You hear snorts, voices, and the clatter of approaching armor," the referee tells the players, knowing that the orcs have already seen them, and secretly makes a reaction check for the monsters and dices 7. The orcs are undecided, so the referee rules the orcs are unsure whether they can mug the well armed fighters, but don't want to let them go away unchecked either.

"Oi! What'r you lot doin' here?" snorts the first orc into the room.

With most of the orcs still in the dim passage the players don't realize how many there are, and the fighters fancy their chances against a few orcs.

"Beat it Pig-face!" retorts the lead fighter (a fellow with miserable charisma) and draws his sword as a warning, while the thief player immediately attempts to hide. He throws 4 on a six-sided die, and so vanishes into the shadows before he is noticed.

The remainder of the orcs file into the room rattling their weapons and growling at the players who now realize they may have a problem. With the thief hidden from view the orcs figure they outnumber players two to one and feel they have the upper hand.

The players can guess where this parley is headed and (excepting the magic-user) decide to attack. The three fighters and the cleric rush at the orcs as the thief springs from the shadows to backstab. The magic-user back peddles as he attempts to trigger his sleep spell. However, the orcs are good and ready for the players so initiative is checked. The referee throws a 3 for the orcs, and the players throw a 1 (eliciting a groan). Apparently the orcs decided to jump the players first.

The players are outnumbered and have thrown themselves into a general melee making no effort to protect the magic-user; so the referee decides to assign te orcs' attacks randomly among everyone excepting the thief (who is hidden in shadow). There are nine orcs, so the referee throws nine ten-sided dice with a 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, being allocated to the three fighters, a 7-8 the cleric, and a 9-10 the magic-user. The dice yield 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10 meaning the un-charismatic fighter is attacked three times, the other two fighters are attacked twice each, and the cleric and magic-user are attacked once each.

The fighters are AC 2, the cleric AC 4, and the magic-user AC 9, so the orcs require rolls of 17+, 15+, and 10+ to hit them, respectively. The orcs' attack rolls are 16, 17, 1, 5, 5, 10, 20, 5, 4 so the magic-user is fortunate enough to escape harm (if he been hit his spell would have been interrupted and wasted). Rhe first and third fighters are not so lucky, suffering one hit apiece. The referee dices for damage scoring 4 and 1. Supposing the fighters began play with 7, 6, and 5 hit points respectively, the first is reduced to 3 hit points, and the third to 4 hit points. Neither are slain, so both can retaliate this round.

The players now make their attack rolls against AC 7; the fighters require rolls of 12+, the cleric and thief require rolls of 13+. The fighters' rolls are 2, 16, 13, the cleric rolls 10 and the thief 15 (with is adjusted by +4 due to his backstab attack to 19). Two of the fighters and the thief have hit. The players now roll damage, the first fighter scores a 3 and adds 1 due to his strength for 4 hit points, the second scoring just 1 hit point. The thief player rolls two damage dice for a surprise attack -- and possibly cause the target to drop its weapon (if it survives). He scores 5 and 3 for 8 hit points -- a deadly blow.

The referee now rolls one hit die for each of the three orcs struck, scoring 3, 6, and 5 hit points. The first fighter and the thief have slain an orc apiece, and the second fighter has wounded a third.

Now the magic-user -- fortunate not to have been interrupted -- completes his sleep spell, and throws two six-sided dice to determine how many will be affected. He scores 6 and 4 making 10. The initial cheering subsides when the referee reminds the players that a sleep spell is indiscriminate and in a melee situation he'll dice to determine who is affected.

There are 7 orcs and 6 players standing. The one orc targeted by the spell will be affected, as will 9 of the other 12 targets (6 orcs and 6 players). The referee decides it's easiest to determine which 3 targets will not be affected, and so throws three 12-sided dice. Any result of 1-6 will indicate a PC, and any result of 7-12 will indicate an orc. The dice are cast and come up 2, 6, and 7. Everyone other than the 2nd fighter, the magic-user, and an orc drop instantly into an enchanted slumber!

The turn is complete. The referee asks the remaining two players what they intend to do in the following round, as he secretly rolls a morale check for the remaining orc. The orcs have suffered catastrophic losses and the lone remaining orc is outnumbered two to one, so the referee decides to adjust the check by -3. The throw is a 7 adjusted to a 5 which, as per the Morale Check table, indicates the orc will flee.

Initiative is diced to determine whether the fighter will reach the orc before it can escape. The referee throws a 4 for the orc, and the player throws a 5 for his fighter. He throws his attack roll and it's a 9 adjusted by +2 (for a rear attack) to 11. Needing a 12 or better, he misses by 1, so the fighter isn't able to scramble over all the slumbering bodies quickly enough to cut the orc down before it escapes.

The combat has ended.

The fighter has the option to pursue the fleeing orc, in which case the referee would employ the dungeon pursuit rules...